Automatic electric railway block-signal system



L. W. KHE. AUTOMATIC ELECTHIQRMLWAY LocK SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I8. |919.

brain sans LAWRENCE W. KITE, 0F BARBERTON, OvI-IIO.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC RAIIIWl-LY BLOCK-SIGNAL SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed Gctober 18, 1919. Serialvlio. 331,567.

The main object of my invention is to provide a means which may be used to eiectually prevent a collision between two trains operating upon the same track.

Another obj ect of my invention is to provide a wiring system whereby electrical current may be used to warn an engineer or other operator of the dangerous approach of one train to another upon the same track.

A further object is to provide a wiring system which may be used to prevent such collisions by carrying` an electricalcurrent to some electrically actuated device located on said trains whereby mechanism will be set in motion that will automatically stop said trains.

A still further object is to provide a wiring system that will provide means to a-ccomplish the above object and may also be used to short circuit some electrically actuated device located on said trains and thereby to release automatically means normally tending to stop said trains.

Vith these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form apart hereo'fin which I have shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, it being understood that changes, variations and modiiications may be resorted to which come within the scope of the matter hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings in which like characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one rail of a railway track illustrating diagrammatically the method of wiring said rail.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a railwaytrack equipped with the wiring system embodying this invention.

Fig, 8 is a front elevation of the forward contact wheel of a train equipped to be operated by means of a system embodying this invention, also showing in diagram means whereby a train may be'stopped as hereiny after described.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of an electrically actuated device located on a train equipped to be operated in accordance with lthis invention.

Referring now to the drawings inv detail, the numeral 5 is used to denote one rail of the track wired in accordance with this invention. The rail 5 is made up of a plurallty of rail sections which are bonded together so as to present a continuous carrying element for electric current, -The numeral 6 is used generally to denote the other rail of the track. The rail 6, may for the purpose of this description be termed as divided into a plurality of sections, A, B, C, D and E, each of said sections being in# sulated from the other, and each section occupying a length of a railway track as long as the longest train to be operated thereon. y

Each of the sections A, B, C, D and lE are made up of a plurality of rail lengths as shown in the drawings by the numerals 11, 12, 18, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18, each of which are insulated from the adjacent rail by the insulating member 10. The ends of the alternating rail sections 11, 13, 15 and 17 are connected by wires 19, while the ends of the alternating rail sections 12,14, 16 and 18 are similarly connected by the wires 20. The rail lengths thus joined to the wires 19 and 2O form a'eontinuous carrying element for an electrical current. One of the elements composed of rail lengths 11,VV 13,- 15 and 17 in section B are connected at the end of the rail 17 to the negative pole of the battery 22 by the wires 45. While the elements.

composed of rail sections 12, 14, 16 and 18 in section D are connected to the end of the rail 12 to the positive terminal of the batof said battery 21; the rail lengths 11,18,`-r

15 and 17' of section C are connected at 17 to the negative pole of the battery 23 and the rail lengths 12, 14, 16 and 18 of section E are connected t0 the positive pole of the battery 23; the sections 11, 13, 15 and 17 of section D being connected to the negative pole of the battery 24.

While I have shown by diagram complete sections B, C and D and part of sections A and E, it will be easily understood that the sections A and E are wired identical with sections B, C and D and a railway track may be constructed with any number of such sections depending` upon the length of the track to be equipped with a safety system embodying this invention. It is believed that the above description of B, C andD will be sufficient for the understanding of them all.

The numerals 25 and 26 are used to designate contact wheels which are attached t0 the forward end of the locomotive or train, so that during the movement of the train said wheels will be iirst to pass over the track.

For the purpose of illustration, we have shown the wheel 25 as positioned on the rail 5 and the wheel 26 as positioned on the rail 6. These wheels are mounted on brackets 30 which are in turn attached to the beam 2T which may be composed of wood or other electric insulating material or may be coniposed of Imetal with the brackets 30 insulated theref'rom. Operatively connected to the wheels 25 and 26 by means of wires 28 and 29 is an electrically operative device 31 which may be a volt meter or ammeter or other electrical indicating device. In the ladaptation in the invention shown in Fig. 4 I have illustrated a volt meter which when actuated connects the points 33 and 34 by means of the indicating hand 39. The points 33 and 34 being insulated from, though attached to the dial of the volt meter 31. The oint 33 is connected to one ter minal of the bell 35 by the wire 33 and the point 34 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery 36. The other terminal of the bell 35 being connected by means of the wire 37 to the positive terminal of the battery 36. In the adaptation shown in Fig, 3, the point 33 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery 4() and the point 34 is connected to the positive terminal of said. battery 40 which normally operates the magnet 41 which holds the lever.42 from connecting'the points 33 and 34 so that the connection of' the points 33 and 34 by the operation of the volt meter 31 will short circuit thebattery 40 and the lever 42 will thus be released from the pull of the magnet 41 and dropped, will connect the points 33 and 34 thus completing a circuit that will operate an electrically actuated device arranged to apply the brakes or otherwise stop the train.

It will thus be seen that in case two trams are traveling toward each other on a single track such as is shown in Fig. 2, that when the forward end of one train reaches the section B, the wheels of the train will connect through its aXles the rail 5 with the rail lengths 11, 13, 15 and 17 of section B and thus connect the rail 5 -with the negative pole of the battery 22. In case the rail lengths 12, 14, 16 and 18 in section D are connected by another train, it will be seen that the'positive and negative poles of the battery 22 will be connected and the indicating hand 39 will be actuated by the electric current from the battery 22 and will sound an alarm or automatically stop the train on section B as hereinbefore set forth. It will also be seen as the forward wheels 25 and 26 located on the train in section D pass over the sections 12, 14, 16 and 13 that the device 31 on that train will be similarly operated thus stopping both trains. In case a train.

is at a standstill on section B some of the wheels of the train must necessarily connect the rail lengths 11, 13, 15 and 17 with the rail 5 so that the forward wheels 25 and 26 of a train coming toward it, when it reaches the section D will connect the two terminals of the device 31 on that train to the two poles' of the battery 22 and thus operate a safety device as hereinbefore set forth.

In case two trains are traveling in the same direction on a single track as is shown in Fig. 2 the rear wheels of the train will connect the rails 5 and 6 so that a train traveling toward section A, on section B, is followed by a second train. lNhen the second reaches the section D it will be automatically stopped or the engineer will be given warning of the close approach to the first train according to the nature of the safety device used.

Inasmuch as the sections A, B, C, D and E are each wired in a similar manner, it will be seen that if one train is located on section A and the other on section C, the device 31 on both trains will be operated with the battery 21; likewise if one train is located on section C and the other train is located on section E, the device 31 on both trains will be operated by the battery 23.

Vhile I have described two typesof devices which might be used to stop a train, it is to be understood that my system of wiring may be used in connection with other devices to prevent two trains from Coming together when operated upon the same track.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a system of wiring which when used as hereinbefore set forth will prevent the too close approach of two trains operating on the l. In a Wiring system f of the class described a track, one rail of Which is formed of separate rail lengths bonded to form a continuous current carrying element, the other rail of Which is composed of a plurality of sections each insulated fromv the ad-` jacent section and each section composed of a plurality of rail lengths each insulated from the adjacent rail lengths; the alternating rail lengths of each section being connected electrically so as to form a positive and negative element; the negative element of each section being connectedv to the negative pole of a battery having its positive pole connected to the positive element of an alternating section; the positive element of each section connected to the positive pole of a battery Which has its negative pole connected to the negative element of the other alternating section, substantially as described.

2. A safety system of the class described comprising a track having one rail bonded.

to form a continuous current carrying element, the other rail of Athe track being divided in a plurality of sections each insulated from the adjacent section, each seetion comprising a plurality of rail lengths 'Which are insulated from the adjacent rail lengths, the alternating rails of each section connected by conductor Wires so as to form a positive and negative element in each section, the positive element connected to the positive terminal of a battery, the negative terminal of which is connected to the negative element of a section Which is one section remote in one direction from the first mentioned section and the negative element of the rst mentioned section con- 40 nected to the negative terminal of a battery, the positive terminal of Which is connected -to the positive element of a section Which is one section remote in another direction'from the first mentioned section.

3. In combination with a train carried electrically actuated device, a rail system comprising a track having one rail bonded to form a continuous electric current carrying element, the other rail of the track being divided into a plurality of sections each insulated from the adjacent sections each section comprising a plurality of rail lengths each insulated from the adjacent rail lengths, the alternating rails of each section connected by conductor wires so as to form a positive and negative element in each section, the positive element connected t0 the positive terminal of a battery the negative terminal of which is connected to the negative element of a section Which is one section remote in one direction from the first mentioned section; the negative element of the rst mentioned section connected to the l negative terminal of a battery, the positive terminal of which is connected to the positive element of a section which is-one sec-` tion remote inan'other direction from the first mentioned section.

4L. In a safety system of the class described the combination of a track having one rail bonded to form a continuous,'current carrying element, the other rail oi the track being divided into a pluralityof sections each insulated from the adjacent sections, eachsection comprising a plurality of rail lengths each insulated from the adjacent rail lengths, the alternating rails of each section connected by conductor Wires so as to form a positive and negative element in each section, lthe positive element connected to the positive terminal of a battery, the negative terminal of which is connected-to the negative element of a section which is one section remote in one direction from the first mentioned section; the negative element of the lirst mentioned section connected to the negative terminal of a battery, the positive terminal of' Which is connected to the positiyeaelement of the section which is one section remote in another direction from the first mentioned section, and an electrically actuated, train carried', alarm arranged to be automatically operated by the current from said battery when the presence of tivo trains upon the same track operate to connect the positive pole of said battery through the bond rail with the negative pole thereof.

5. In combination with a train carried electrically actuated device, a rail system comprising a track'having` one rail bonded to form a continuous electric current carrying element, the other rail of the trackbeing divided into a plurality of sections each insulated from the adjacent sections each section comprising a plurality of rail lengths each insulated from the adjacent rail lengths, the alternating rails of' each section connected by conductor Wires so as to form two elements in each section, one of the elements ybeing connected to one terminal of a battery, the other terminal of which is connected to one of the elements of a section one sectionremote in one direction from the first mentioned section, the other element of the first mentioned section being connected to one terminal of a battery, the other terminal of Which is connected to one of the elements of a section one section remote in another direction from the first `mentioned section.

6. In a safety system of the class described, the combination With a train carried electrically actuated device of a track having one rail bonded to "form a continuous current carrying element, the other rail of the track being divided into a plurality of sections each insulated Vfrom the adjacent sections, each section comprising a plurality of rail lengths, each insulated from the adjacent rail lengths, the alternating rails of each section connected by conductor Wires ininal of a source of electrical energy, the other terminalot which is connected to one of the elemente of a Section one section reinote in another direction from the iii-st mentioned Section.

` ln testimony whereof I have hereunto Set iny hand.

LAWRENCE WV. KITE. 

